A tale of two systems: cardiac cephalalgia vs migrainous thoracalgia

Paul G Mathew1, Christopher J Boes, Ivan Garza

  • 1Department of Neurology, John R. Graham Headache Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Division of Neurology, Cambridge Health Alliance, Cambridge, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.

Headache
|May 8, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Headaches can signal heart problems (cardiac cephalalgia), and chest pain may indicate neurological issues like atypical migraine aura. This study highlights these complex cardiac and neurologic interactions.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Cardiology
  • Internal Medicine

Background:

  • Headache diagnosis requires excluding secondary causes, often involving non-neurologic systems.
  • Cardiac conditions can manifest as headaches (cardiac cephalalgia).
  • Neurologic conditions, such as atypical migraine aura, can present as chest pain.

Observation:

  • Presents cases of atypical headache presentations.
  • Demonstrates the interplay between cardiac and neurologic pathologies.
  • Highlights unusual symptoms linking the heart and brain.

Findings:

  • Cardiac pathology can present as headache.
  • Neurologic conditions can manifest as chest pain.
  • Atypical presentations challenge typical diagnostic pathways for both headache and chest pain.

Implications:

  • Clinicians must consider cross-system pathologies in diagnosis.
  • Broadens understanding of referred symptoms between cardiac and neurologic systems.
  • Emphasizes the importance of comprehensive patient evaluation beyond organ-specific assumptions.

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